Now that we have settled into the offseason a bit and the Winter Meetings are right around the corner, it is a bit odd that there has been so little in the way of rumors around the Atlanta Braves' search for a true shortstop. Granted, the Braves like to operate in the shadows and some of the urgency to find a shortstop slowed after the Mauricio Dubon trade, but the biggest reason why there has been so little traction is because Ha-Seong Kim is pretty much the only option left that would work for them.
As soon as Kim opted out of his contract, the Braves and their fans knew this could be a problem. Other than Kim and Bo Bichette, who can hit but is also a defensive liability, the shortstop market looks miserable this offseason. It is no wonder that Atlanta jumped at the chance to trade for Dubon because, at minimum, he would at least represent an improvement over Nick Allen while also adding some versatility to the roster.
With Kim turning down $16 million in order to test the open market, most were assuming that he and Scott Boras were confident they could beat that in free agency. However, if ESPN's Kiley McDaniel and his contract predictions are to be believed, the deal that Kim ends up with could be right in line with what Atlanta was probably hoping for.
Kiley McDaniel thinks Ha-Seong Kim may have to settle to a short-term deal similar in size to his declined option and the Braves would LOVE that
Now, McDaniel's opinion isn't universally accepted as other experts have Kim getting more, but he generally gets pretty close and, as someone who has actually worked for teams, he has Kim only getting one guaranteed year at $16 million. McDaniel also made it a point to say that a deal could also include incentives and/or an option that could boost the value of the deal and that could also make sense.
Considering that some Braves insiders thought that Kim could get $20+ million a year in this market, Atlanta would be thrilled if he would end up taking around the same amount that they were already willing to pay on his previous deal. If Kim/Boras wanted to add a player option at the same amount for 2027 and maybe some incentives to potentially add more, that would also probably be fine.
The question then is whether or not that prediction is based in reality. With contentious labor negotiations on the horizon, Kim could very well find that his market isn't as robust as he was hoping. Whether or not that would lead him back to the Braves and restore order to this chaotic market is anything but certain, though.